Tuesday, October 07, 2003

Under the Nice deal, each country wields 27 votes in the Council of Ministers, compared with 29 votes for Germany, which is twice as populous. 'If Nice is so wrong, why did they all approve it? Why did all EU countries ratify it?' asked Mr Miller.

The Giscard draft would replace the complicated Nice voting system with a simple double majority. Decisions would require support from at least half the member states and these would have to represent at least 60 per cent of the EU population.

I'll have to revisit this. Is there anybody in the room who can explain what a "simple double majority" voting system is? It seems to me that replacing a system whereby each country gets 27 votes, but one gets 29, is only marginally different than a system in which each country gets one vote, which is what I thought the point of the Council of Ministers is (sort of like a Senate?).